Metro South Chamber receives record donation from Good Samaritan

Good Samaritan Hospital donated a record-breaking $100,000 to the Metro South Chamber of Commerce this month as part of the chamber's Centennial Innovation Campaign.

Staff Reporter

BROCKTON – The Metro South Chamber of Commerce recently received the largest donation in its 100-year history, $100,000.

The donation was made by Good Samaritan Medical Center earlier this month as part of the chamber’s Centennial Innovation Campaign, which began last November at the chamber’s 100th annual meeting.

“We’re excited. This is an incredibly generous gift to the business community,” said Chris Cooney, the chamber’s president and CEO.

The goal of the campaign is to raise $350,000 to renovate the chamber’s headquarters, which served as a power station where Thomas Edison worked from 1881 to 1883. During his time in Brockton, Edison perfected his three-wire system of underground lighting at the facility.

“There’s a whole section of the city we refer to the Edison District that has no telephones,” Cooney said. “It is an urban downtown that has had all of its utilities underground since their beginning.”

The old power station was purchased by the chamber in 1988 and transformed into office space, but the building has not been updated since.

“The roof has not been replaced since then and much of the carpet is now 26 years old.” Cooney said.

Other features of the building that will receive updates are the paint, awnings, lighting and security systems.

Good Samaritan’s donation has now pushed the chamber closer to its fundraising goal with almost nearly $300,000 accumulated this far.

“I am proud of our local leadership team and grateful to Steward Health Care for affirming a permanent connection to critical initiatives designed to improve the economic and civic fabric of greater Brockton at this pivotal time,” said John Jurczyk, the hospital’s interim president, in a statement.

In November, the chamber will announce the total amount brought in by the fundraising campaign at their 101st annual meeting.

The chamber hopes that the renovations will create a modern business hub where the community can learn how to open a new business, find business assistance and generate a strong business network to bolster the local economy.

The campaign will also update the Business Assistance Center, which provides workshops, education, counseling and resources to the region's small businesses, and the Edison Business Incubator, which provides six affordable single-space office units for entrepreneurs.

“It invokes his (Edison’s) memory and his work there,” Cooney said.

Included in the updates will be new computers, equipment and software as well as a modern, technologically-advanced conference room available for businesses and the community.